ADMARC employee in Thyolo arrested for swindling MK 3.4 million

A 43 year old Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) employee based at Thyolo Boma, Ben Saidi is currently on court bail after he was arrested for allegedly failing to account for MK 3.4 million.

Thyolo Police Station Officer (SO) Senior Superintendent Boston’s Amanzi said Saidi was arrested following an audit report which revealed that millions of kwacha’s at the Boma ADMARC depot where the suspect works was missing.

“On Wednesday, auditors from ADMARC headquarters came to do some auditing at the depot and in the course of their work they found out that the suspect had not accounted for MK3.4 million.

“The situation was out of their control hence they (the auditors) decided to report the matter to police,” Amanzi said.

The SO further said the police then arrested the suspect and charged him with Theft by Public Servant which is contrary to section 286 of the penal code.

The Thyolo Magistrate Court granted the bail to Ben Saidi, who is a clerk at the depot, after he payed a surety of MK 150,000.

According to court reports, Saidi pleaded not guilty to the charge claiming that he received some bags that weighed less than 50 kilograms hence the shortages.

Theft by Public Servant attracts a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment.

Saidi hails from Gwaza Village in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Ganya in Ntcheu District.